Development and Construction of Single Molecule Force Spectrometers for Research and Student Training

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This award from the Instrumentation for Materials Research program supports the construction of a suite of four single-molecule force spectrometers for development, training and research to be shared by the Departments of Mechanical Engineering, Chemistry, and Biochemistry at Duke University. These instruments permit the measurement of very weak forces (tens of picoNewtons) on the spectrometer tip as a function of its distance from a surface (controlled to 0.3 nm), so that the properties of individual molecules can be studied. In-house construction of the instruments will provide the expertise necessary to modify and develop the facility to meet future educational and research needs. The presence of multiple instruments provides the resources necessary to allow concurrent development and training while still meeting the research needs of the users. Students from each of the represented disciplines will receive training in the development and/or use of single-molecule force spectrometry, an area of growing importance in fundamental research, biotechnology and materials science. No such general training opportunity presently exists on campus. The facility will be centrally located to encourage interactions and collaborations between users from all disciplines, and these interactions will be fostered through a course in macromolecular interactions to be taught and supervised by faculty from each department.This award from the Instrumentation for Materials Research program supports the construction of a suite of four single-molecule force spectrometers for development, training and research to be shared by the Departments of Mechanical Engineering, Chemistry, and Biochemistry at Duke University. These instruments permit the measurement of very weak forces (tens of piconewtons) on the spectrometer tip as a function of its distance from a surface (controlled to a fraction of a nanometer), so that the properties of individual molecules can be studied. In-house construction of the instruments will provide the expertise necessary to modify and develop the facility to meet future educational and research needs. The presence of multiple instruments provides the resources necessary to allow concurrent development and training while still meeting the research needs of the users. Students from each of the represented disciplines will receive training in the development and/or use of single-molecule force spectrometry, an area of growing importance in fundamental research, biotechnology and materials science. No such general training opportunity presently exists on campus. The facility will be centrally located to encourage interactions and collaborations between users from all disciplines, and these interactions will be fostered through a course in macromolecular interactions to be taught and supervised by faculty from each department.